1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fishing reels of the type having a translatable center shaft that is shifted through a pivotable thumb button and, more particularly, to a connection between the thumb button and a supporting housing which facilitates smooth pivoting of the thumb button relative to the housing and avoids rattling therebetween.
2. Background Art
In conventional spin cast fishing reels, a pivotable thumb button is employed to place the reel selectively in its casting mode. The thumb button is typically mounted in an opening at the rear of the reel housing and, once depressed, shifts a center shaft forwardly, which in turn moves a spinner head at the distal end of the center shaft and simultaneously retracts a pick-up pin. The forwardly shifting spinner head snubs the line against an inside surface of the housing to allow the rod to be cocked without line payout. The thumb button is released at the same time the rod is thrust forwardly so that the line freely uncoils from a spool on which it is stored.
To facilitate assembly of the thumb button, it is common to use a snap fit pin and socket connection. Typically, a pin projects in cantilever fashion oppositely from the sides of the thumb button. The housing has receptive sockets for the pins. Each socket has a curved seat defined by bendable legs which are spaced slightly from each other to define an entryway having a diameter less than the diameter of the pins. To seat the pins, the pins are forced against the free ends of the legs which spread sufficiently to allow entry of the pins. Once the pins are fully seated, the memory in the legs draws the legs back towards each other to maintain the pins in the sockets.
Designers of thumb buttons deal with two competing objectives. First, it is desirable to have a thumb button that is readily pivotable on the housing. Secondly, it is desirable that the thumb button be maintained firmly in its undepressed state so that it does not tend to rattle on the housing. While closely fitting the pin and socket obviates the latter problem, it aggravates the former problem. One proposed solution to this has been the provision of a separate spring, which biases the thumb button to an undepressed state. Exemplary spring structures are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,129, to Neufeld. While the Neufeld structure eliminates rattling, it requires the assembly of an additional part, which is undesirable.